The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-12-29
OUR GREAT CELEBRATION
Steps BENG Taken to Make It a
Complete Success.

Steps BENG Taken to Make It a
Complete Success.
Daring the session of the immigration
convention at Dallas, just adjourned, the
drill and dedication celebration, 20 occur
here next May, was Thoroughly and at
trsctively advertised. This Convention
was composed, as everybody knows, of
representative business men from every
city aud section of Texas, and wAen Che
invitation was extended them &c visit
Austin next May, the hearty maDaer in
which they accepted it indicated tina they
had already heard OF the proposed cole
bration, and had made up their minds to
come. A few thousand copies OF the
| illustrated prospectus of the drill and
dedication were distributed, not only
among the two thousand strangers in
Dallas, who took them home with them,
but in every business establishment in the
city of Dallas. Tho Dallas News paid a
handsome compliment, both editorially
and locally, to our big enterprise. 1t was
the subject of conversation among all the
strangers and citizens in the hotel cor
ridors, the parlors, the opera house and
throughout the entire city. As Bud Con-
nor, the mayor of Dallas, remarked:
"The city of Dallas will go down
to Austin almost in its en-
tirety to attend the great
drill and dedication next May" And this
is going to be the case with every other
Texas city. Half of the population of
each of them will be on hand. Add to that
the immense number of people who are
coming from outside of the state, including
excursionists from the great cities of the
east and west and south, and we will have
| 100000 people here. The immigration
movement just perfected is going to help
our celebration no little in bringing
strangers from distance, because the state
immigration committee, which will confer
with railroad managers next Thursday
at Dallas, will secure from them low ex-
curslon rates from allgreat cities o Amer
lea TO the Texas cities. This is some
thing that we long have wanted, and our
drill and dedication next May will BIS the
first great celebration in Texas to reap
the advantage of this movement, which
will add immensely to the number of
people present from other states.
Realizing the magnitude and the i'm
portanoe of the great work before
them, the bUard of directors, having this
affair in charge have now taken up the
preparation OF it in dead earnest, and
have decided that there shall be
no intermission of their labors
until the celebration in May
has been pronounced magnificent sue
cess in all its appointments. Twenty
nine thousand dollars have been sub
scribed to date, and the board feel assured
that in a short time they can announce
that $500 have been subscribed. This
will be sufficient TO make the affair a
grand success, but, to make assurance
dOubly sure, the soliciting committee will
continue TO interview our citizens from
time to time on this subject. The board
met yesterday afternoon in the office
which they nave secured as permanent
headquarters, it being the second floor over
| FREQ Turner's insurance Office, and second
door above Jas, Ii. Raymond q Co.'s
bank. There they have commodiouf
quarters for thor meetings and oonsulta-
tions with parties, and plenty of desk
room for the immense amount of work
before them. The board decided TO put a
thoroughly competent man regularly in
charge of this Office, 10 be on hand all the
time, to do every thing the board will re
quire of him, to carry on all the cor.
RI pondenoe, which is now increasing
rapidly, to attend to every measure
promptly as ordered by the board, and 70
answer all questions of parties seeking
information and having business with the
association Any stakeholder, or other
person, having any suggestions to make
that will add TO the success of the celebra-
ton, financially or otherwise is requested
to leave them at this office.
The board has commenced to arrange
an attractive prize list, and, before finally
publishing it in the press of the state and
the Associated Press of America, they will
call in the best military talent in Texas tC
pass upon II.
A great many letters from various parts
of Texas and the United States were read
indicating already lively interest in thu
coming celebration. The manager oil
Gimore's world renowned band has writ.
ten several letters Indicating an anxiety
on the part of Gilmore to bring his band
here next May, and representative OF
this band will DO here shortly TO look over
the ground aud make the board propo.
sitiOn. Other bands, in and out of the
httte3 hEb hl-O " pToh1luR n ue5lto W cOuo
The cream Of the military of Texas and
OF the south will also be in attendance
The Grand Lodge of Masons will be pres
ent to dedicate the new state
house. Right hero it may be
well TO remark that the great
card, the leading attraction that the citi-
zens of Austin who have taken stock in
this public-spirite5 enterprise have for
drawing an enormous crowd here to the
celebration, ia the magnitude, grandeur
and beauty of our new capitol building
Everybody in Texas, and great many
outside of the state, have heard SO much
about this colossal governmental edifce
that they all want to see it, and by secur.
ing for them low excursion rate, which
viii be done, thousands upon thousands
Of them will come to the celebration.
AS slight indication that the board OF
directors propose TO use their earnest and
systematic efforts TO arrange for every
detail in ample time and to attend to all